Unlike other storytelling media, video games have made a mark in society as among the rare forms of stories its players can actively interact with. It’s for this same reason that many classic and more modern titles such asThe Witcher 3, God of War,and evenBaldur’s Gate 3left a mark in the industry for their compelling narratives. However, while these titles are aided by impressive graphics and immersive gameplay to tell their stories, it doesn’t mean PCs and consoles are the only places for games with amazing stories.
In fact, smartphones and mobile gaming have had their fair share of games with compelling narratives and unforgettable stories. While some of these standout works have come in the form of ports of older titles, certain mobile-only games are also must-plays for their tales.
Android, iOS
Genre
Fantasy
WhileMagiumfeels likea text-bloated choose-your-own-adventure, its explosive story feels yanked straight out of an anime. Set in a world where humans can’t become mages, the human Barry has always wanted to be a spellcaster. This ambition brings him to a tournament on an island called Varathia, where the victor attains the Magium - the supposed source of all magic. Unfortunately for Barry, other competitors in the tournament are greedy and dangerous mages. One slip-up, as the book relentlessly shows players, will result in Barry’s death.
The one thing keeping Barry from certain doom is his Stat Device, a neat integration of an in-game stat system that allows Barry to improve certain characteristics. Points are only earned in specific parts of the game, however, so players need to choose carefully which stats to improve Barry’s chances of survival. Accompanying Barry is quite the cast of companions with a keen level of depth to them, such as the elementalist Kate or the healer Darren. Fans who are more into reading and can forego the lack of graphics can appreciate the narrative depth inMagium.
2017
Interactive Fiction
Theworld of interactive fictionoften treads the line between a mere book and a choose-your-own-adventure setup, butConscientia: The Book of Eidostries to spice things up with a multi-layered narrative. Released in 2017, this Android interactive fiction piece tells the story of the immortal traveler Eidos as she enters a new world completely unknown to her. Players make Eidos “their own” as the game helps them gravitate towards personality types based on their own decisions as well as interactions with the game’s many characters.
Unlike other self-contained IF works,The Book of Eidosis rather expansive in its offerings. Glyphs help Eidos overcome challenges through new abilities, while replays after death will still affect the overall narrative. Unique toThe Book of Eidosis how save files interact with each other, providing players with vastly different outcomes regardless if they repeatedly play numerous times.
Survival
Players ofParasite Dayswake up to find a sentient parasite lodged neatly on their right wrist, while their left wrist has a talking watch designed to monitor the entire ordeal. For some reason, players are in an experiment where they must try to survive as long as they can while the Parasite slowly sucks away their vitality. As the Parasite is directly connected to the player’s heart, trying to remove its presence on the wrist will just have a new one grow in its place. And trying to remove the watch will also result in the player’s death.
Left with no other choice, players have to converse with their two new companions while earning credits to manufacture new food. This survival game needs players to constantly create new food to juggle a list of attributes, all of which have an impact on the player’s overall survival. Despite its short nature,Parasite Daysis quite the wild sci-fi ride.
Horror, Survival
At first glance,Death Palettefeels more like an escape room simulator with storytelling elements. It’s set in a room where the player, a Painter, is tasked to finish a painting that originally only appears as a smudge of black paint. However, a ghostly image of a girl asks them if they are the next artist to try and finish her painting. This is where the challenge is declared: if the player doesn’t paint her correctly, they die.
Unlikeother horror games,Death Paletteshines in evoking a creepy atmosphere with no unnecessary jump scares. As players try to piece together the origins of the little girl, they receive real-life notification sounds on “messages” in their in-game phone. These in turn reveal chat logs of previous painters (victims?) and their opinions on the matter. As players explore the room and collect sketches, they try to piece together what colors the girl prefers for the painting. Getting these wrong will get players killed, and they have to restart the scenario again. Despite its short runtime,Death Paletteis quite a deep experience with melancholic undertones.
2018
Psychology, Clicker
While the idea of a mobile game with a decent narrative can be confined to a predictable visual novel,Alter Egoby Caramel Column Inc. defies the odds by presenting its deep narrative under the guise of an idle clicker. Players spend most ofAlter Egoconversing with the game’s pocket dimension ruler Ego Rex and a young woman named Es. The game’s idle-clicking mechanic revolves around earning Ego by clicking on Whispers, or speech bubbles of texts taken from famous literary pieces - which are also Ego-producing books that players upgrade.
A common dynamic in the story ofAlter-Egoinvolves Ego Rex and Es telling players they can’t trust the other. Es will also periodically ask questions to players, eventuallyattempting a Freudian psychoanalysisthat can result in rather personalized experiences. The young lady will often question her own role in the story, eventually influencing the game’s final outcome. The game only has three endings, but the journey can be quite a wild ride in the context of narrative experiences.
Rhythm, Sci-Fi
WhileCytus 2is already known for its roster of both catchy and melancholy music, fans also praise the game for its unique mechanics interspersed with a deep story. At its core,Cytus 2is played like a standard rhythm game, wherein Notes are tapped or held as an Active Scan Line passes them to generate music. The story ofCytus 2follows the same formula as its predecessor, where cutscenes separate the narrative across Chapters which can only be completed after finishing songs.
Taking place after the resurgence of human society after a devastating virus killed much of humanity inCytus, the story ofCytus 2revolves around the attendees of a virtual concert and their unknowing relationships with each other. WhereasCytusalready grapples with concepts of identity,Cytus 2ups the ante by including a more immersive take on a digitized society dependent on music as a vehicle of consciousness.
Fantasy, RPG
Despite its 2012 release,Final Fantasy Dimensionsremains an enjoyable nostalgia trip tothe classicFinal Fantasyseries. Set in an unnamed world, the King of Lux and the Avalon Empire each send a group of youngsters to the same crystal - an event that shatters the world in half. The two groups are separated and mixed into each other, becoming Warriors of Light and Darkness. Names, trends, and tropes inFinal Fantasy Dimensionsalmost always have some Easter Egg connected to them that are primarily associated with pre-3DFinal Fantasytitles.
On top of its story, what makesFinal Fantasy Dimensionsrather compelling is its mobile adaptation of older mechanics. The game employs the Active Time Battle system, complete with the ever-filling gauge that dictates a character’s turn. Its Auto-Battle system can make fights more convenient, while the Job System fromFF5returns with certain Jobs specific to either Warrior group. Characters remain engaging throughout the story, especially when their initial dynamics are broken and they have to adjust to a new adventure with new companions.
Players ofArknightstake the role of the amnesiac Doctor, whose leadership of Rhodes Island is integral to its mission of finding a cure to the progressive disease Oripathy that is ravaging the current world. Unfortunately for the player and their Operators, various nefarious forces are scheming to take advantage of the chaos surrounding the world of Terra. This post-apocalyptic setup aside,Arknights’gameplayalready has remarkable depth - it’s a grid-based tower defense title where “towers” take the form of Operators, all of which are organized into Roles with different combat effects as well as Specializations that determine their combat performance.
This deep gameplay is interspersed with solid world-building and character development. All characters in the game have some stake in the fate of Terra, especially in how Oripathy resulted in mutations that paved the way for interesting metacommentary. While some fans consider the main story flawed due to its lack of proper execution,Arknightscontains one of the better-developed worlds among mobile-exclusive titles.
Taking place prior to the events ofthe firstOctopath Travelergame,Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continentcontains the same narrative depth as the titles in the series with a sprinkling of its character-collecting gacha elements. Players take the role of the Chosen One tasked to deliver a divine ring, encountering those who want to oppose the tyrannical rulers of Osterra hell-bent on wealth, fame, and power.
Gameplay inChampions of the Continentplays similarly to their original counterparts, with a deep focus on party management and skill optimization. However, whereChampions of the Continentshines is its overarching narrative. As with other games in the series, there’s a heavy emphasis on the relationships among the Travelers, although these are contained in Side Stories and Traveler Stories in the mobile title. Meanwhile, the core story ofChampions of the Continentis tied to two overarching Master and Bestower arcs, both of which contain individual chapters with themes surrounding Wealth, Power, Fame, and All.
WhiletheFateserieswithin Type-Moon’s Nasuverse often revolves around a secret Holy Grail War and the fight for its wish-granting prize, the story ofFate/Grand Orderups the stakes by involving the very world itself. Players of theFate/Grand Orderstory take the role of Ritsuka Fujimaru, a Master assigned by the Chaldea Security Organization to follow the Grand Order and stop the certain extinction of humankind. Throughout the story, Ritsuka and the Shielder Servant Mash visit different Singularities to stop temporal anomalies that spell certain doom for humanity.
Extensive chapters ofFate/Grand Ordertake their time fleshing out relationships between Servants and Heroic Spirits, resulting in narrative depth that properly builds up to grander climaxes in later Singularities and the game’s Lostbelt iteration. Servants that players collect also have rather complex stories, with the franchise adding unique “twists” to their real-world versions that players can enjoy reading in included texts, or even play out when they encounter their Servant’s respective interlude dungeons.
